SS wire

[roofman]

Although i enjoy getting my tig out to play with stainless stuff i also would like the option of speed and less hassle of just using the mig to weld a bit of rough stuff up...My question is guys do i use my Argon on the mig the same sort of flow rates as the tig or do i even need to use Argon at all and can i keep my Light connected instead?..cheers

 

[rikrobson]

I think it's pure for tig and mixed for mig
Unfortunately it's just too different to use the same gas.
The mix will corrode the tungsten electrode. Hence the pure gas

 

[gordon stephenson]

I use light for stainless, just a couple of % too much Co2 but welds fine,

 

[Sarto]

Where I work, for stainless Mag they use 98% Argon + 2% CO2 (or 98% Ar +2% Oxygen, I don't remeber now).
They tried with 80/20 mix, but the weld was like "burnt", if I recall correctly.

If only I could remember where I put my memory...

SARTo

 

[marlinspike]

Sorry to hijack the thread. So to clarify, am I right in thinking then that we can weld stainless with stainless steel wire and Argoshield light? We are doing a car resto but had thought of making the battery tray out of stainless steel as it's a common corrosion point.

We actually have Boc Universal at the moment as they had run out Argoshield light, but will be going back to the light on the next refill.

 

[HMB]

Yes it will just be sooty

 

[backpurge]

Sorry to hijack the thread. So to clarify, am I right in thinking then that we can weld stainless with stainless steel wire and Argoshield light? We are doing a car resto but had thought of making the battery tray out of stainless steel as it's a common corrosion point.

We actually have Boc Universal at the moment as they had run out Argoshield light, but will be going back to the light on the next refill.

Depends if it's a critical joint, if you are just sticking something together and aren't overly bothered about it being structurally sound Argoshield will be ok, just make sure you remove all the surface oxides, particularly if it is going to be in a position where it is prone to corrosion

 

[TechnicAl]

Depends if it's a critical joint, if you are just sticking something together and aren't overly bothered about it being structurally sound Argoshield will be ok, just make sure you remove all the surface oxides, particularly if it is going to be in a position where it is prone to corrosion

Shouldnt UNIVERSAL be better and suitable for both MS and SS.........I can never remember these names......is it Argon / Oxygen

 

[backpurge]

Shouldnt UNIVERSAL be better and suitable for both MS and SS.........I can never remember these names......is it Argon / Oxygen

Al, Universal is 12% CO2, 2% O2, balance Ar. You might be thinking of Specshield 2% O2. PM me your email address and I'll send you a gases spec sheet

 

[marlinspike]

Thanks guys.

 

[TechnicAl]

Al, Universal is 12% CO2, 2% O2, balance Ar. You might be thinking of Specshield 2% O2. PM me your email address and I'll send you a gases spec sheet

Its good that
I could have done with that years ago

 

[backpurge]

Its good that
I could have done with that years ago

No probs Al

 

[Richard.]

Stainless Mig requires an active amount of shielding in the argon but too much will result in a heavily oxidised weld.
Sarto's mix of 97.5-98% ar is the optimum mix for results. If your wanting a gas to cover both ms and SS then I personally wouldn't go higher than 5% active and even then it's not "correct".

 

[gordon stephenson]

What do you guys think? I have always used Argoshield light (5%) Co2, for the small amount of stainless that i do, What do you recon to to using Light and pure Argon connected through a Y piece and both flow gauges on the regs set to the same flow or maybe a touch higher on the pure to prevent any back flow of the light? To my way of thinking will i end up with 2.5% Co2 at the torch.

 

[backpurge]

What do you guys think? I have always used Argoshield light (5%) Co2, for the small amount of stainless that i do, What do you recon to to using Light and pure Argon connected through a Y piece and both flow gauges on the regs set to the same flow or maybe a touch higher on the pure to prevent any back flow of the light? To my way of thinking will i end up with 2.5% Co2 at the torch.

Don't forget you've got oxygen in there too

 

[gordon stephenson]

Hi, Backpurge, Yes i know there is the oxygen content, But for the small (hobby)amount of stainless that i weld will mixing the Argoshield light and pure Argon to reduce the Co2 to 2.5% and oxy to 1%, I have welded stainless before just using the Argoshield light and got pretty good results, So the answer i was looking for will mixing give better results?

 

[Richard.]

If you can get the mixes spot on to give you that at the shroud then I guess it would work but that's no easy task and I'd certainly be looking at doing it through twin stage regs to stop pressure surges ruining your mix ratios.
@backpurge knows a lot more about the do's and donts than I know and I've no doubt he's seen em all. Logically it works IF you get it right and keep it consistent. Bp will be able to shed a better light if there is something critical I've missed.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Thanks Richard. t was just an idea that i had, for the small amount of stainless that I do, All non critical i will stay with the Argoshield light, Do not want to risk messing up the existing gas ratios, Also don't have any two stage regs

 

[backpurge]

Gordon you are right that mixing the gases in the way you said will reduce the CO2 and O2 content in the Argoshield, as Richard says if you are using single stage regs you will probably get a slight fluctuation in the mix proportions but the reality is that it you probably won't notice it altering. I'd initially go for around 8 ltr/min on the Argon and 4 ltr/min on the Argoshield and take it from there.

It's an interesting experiment, next time I'm in our lab I'll set up the same and measure the mix with an analyser and see what you need to set the flows at to get the optimum mix

 

[gordon stephenson]

Back purge, thanks for the reply and settings advice, Might be a while but I will give it a try Are two stage regs so much better/more accurate than the single stage ones, I believe they can be quite pricy..